The Detroit Tigers just got another big bat in the lineup by signing Prince Fielder today. The slugger signed a 9-year contract worth $214 million. His incentives include $1 million if he is named the league’s Most Valuable Player. He also gets his own hotel suite when the Tigers are on the road. It’s no wonder he said “dreams come true” at a press conference on Thursday at Comerica Park.

Now Tigers fans will look for Fielder to help propel the team to its first World Series win since Ronald Reagan was nearing the end of his first term in the White House. For those of you too young to remember the Tigers in 1984, it was a marvelous season. Google it sometime.

Those of you who cheered on the team in ‘84 may recall relief pitcher Willie Hernandez earned both the Cy Young Award and the A.L. MVP award. Yet we know that baseball is truly a team sport and winning a championship takes a whole team of players dedicated to making it happen. One “Prince” can be a tremendous boost though, but the responsibility lies with every player at the plate, on the mound, and on the field every single game.

In the restoration business, we work with the same philosophy in mind. A winning team is made up of more than one person. It takes a commitment from each one of our “players” to successfully complete a project, from the first response a client gets by phone to ensuring the work meets expectations.

We’re dedicated to making 2012 a successful year, serving property owners here in Michigan and beyond to the best of our ability. If you know someone who wants a winning team on the job of water mitigation, sewage clean-up, fire and smoke damage restoration, and much more, let them know about Aaron’s Restoration. We’re available at 888-442-2766 round-the-clock. Even Prince Fielder can’t say that.

It doesn’t matter how cold it gets in Michigan in January, there is always someone walking around ill-prepared for the elements. You might see her on the street with a light jacket when it’s 25 degrees out. You might see him shoveling his sidewalk without gloves. Or you might be that person we’re talking about.

At Aaron’s Restoration, we deal in disasters all the time: storms, fires, floods, etc.. But our business involves working around things that can be replaced. It may be flooring damaged by flooding, a dryer burned in a fire or a wall lost to a tree felled by a storm. But human fingers and toes aren’t easily replaced when amputation becomes necessary after frostbite.

It may seem unusual for a restoration company to be discussing a medical condition. After all, you won’t find a doctor blogging about mold remediation. But we understand the need to be comfortable in your home, your sanctuary. It’s difficult to do that when your health and well-being are affected by the impact of frigid weather on your body. Even just adding a hat that covers your ears can prevent you from losing 40% of your body heat when you’re out in these chilly conditions.

Working outside for any period of time makes it imperative to dress properly for the weather. As you’ve certainly felt recently, our temperatures have stayed below freezing quite often, and even a gentle breeze at those temperatures can produce a fierce wind chill. That’s why we make sure our crews are prepared for the weather each and every time they respond to a call.

A little bit of extra time getting dressed for our cold Michigan winter days and nights is always well worth it. It may only take an extra sixty seconds to find those thick gloves and put on a warm hat. Easy enough, right? You want to be prepared for an emergency, not become one.

As January rolls along, temperatures in Michigan are dropping even further. In fact, as daytime highs fail to climb out of the 20s, you’ll miss those warmer winter days when our highs topped 40 degrees. But while you’re dressing in layers outside or covered with an extra blanket inside, your water pipes may not feel so warm and toasty.

There are numerous ways to protect those pipes. For example, you could buy a product to insulate them. Some people recommend leaving a tap on to allow water to steadily flow through the pipes, reducing the risk of a freeze. Yet whatever option suits you best, it’s wise to address the potential problem before it becomes an actual problem.

The extended freeze makes a pipe burst more likely because the daytime temperatures don’t warm up enough to make a difference. And there is a huge difference between a few degrees. 29 is not 33.

A few days of freezing temperatures coinciding with a weekend can lead to a disaster if no one is home to tend to the pipes. A wise Michigan resident who is out of town during these particularly cold spells will contact someone to check on the house in his or her absence. An early observation of a developing problem can become a significant game changer with the right intervention.

A developing problem that gets neglected during a deep freeze can lead to widespread damage, depending on where the pipe burst occurs. It may affect flooring, furniture, walls and much more. By the time the disaster is discovered, the expense of clean-up could have doubled, tripled or worse.

Your best bet is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. That’s pretty much a smart policy to adopt in any area of your life, especially if you’re new to Michigan. Winters around here can pack a pretty cold punch.

Aaron’s Restoration is ready to handle disasters round-the-clock, during even the most chilly conditions. Whether it’s water mitigation, mold remediation, fire and smoke clean-up or virtually any other home disaster, the team of specialists at Aaron’s Restoration can return a home to its original condition quickly and expertly. Visit www.aaronsrestoration.com today or call 888-442-2766.

With temperatures frequently below freezing in Michigan this month, you’re likely feeling the effects on your body. Perhaps you’re moving a bit slower, dealing with a runny nose, and experiencing dry skin. That dry skin, of course, comes from a lack of moisture in the air outside. Unfortunately, the season is having the opposite affect on many Michigan homes, creating a build-up of moisture in the winter months.

Where is all that moisture coming from? Many sources can be contributing to the level of moisture in a home. For starters, running a cool-mist humidifier to help relieve a family member’s nasal congestion creates moisture. A thermostat set higher than necessary can also create more moisture when the warm air interacts with cold surfaces, such as windows. In the bathroom, long, hot showers produce plenty of moisture, fogging up mirrors and making and floors walls slippery. In the kitchen, cooking on the stove top can produce steam. Even drying clothes indoors adds to the moisture level in a home.

The problem with all that moisture is the threat of rapid mold growth. It can be especially problematic in a tightly sealed, energy efficient home. So one quick way to reduce the moisture level in a home is to use ventilating fans wherever they are available. Moving that moisture away from walls and windows can help reduce the risk of mold and mildew growth. Also, find a comfortable setting for the thermostat and leave it there.

One area that gets overlooked is flooring. Carpet on a concrete floor with no barrier between the two can lead to the absorption of moisture in the carpet. Area rugs that can be removed and washed are preferable in this situation.

When mold becomes a growing problem in your Michigan home, whether you’re in Sterling Heights, Grand Rapids or Troy, contact Michigan’s mold remediation experts at Aaron’s Restoration. Mold removal and clean-up is one of our primary areas of expertise, and we can create a solution that matches your needs and budget. Call Aaron’s Restoration at 888-442-2766 or visit www.aaronsrestoration.com.

You might have seen Aaron’s Restoration in your neighborhood recently or perhaps you passed us on the road. Maybe we worked on a home of someone close to you and that’s how you first heard our name. But for those individuals whose homes we transformed after a disaster, we thank you for trusting our experience and expertise in your time of need.

We covered a lot of miles over the last 12 months. We provided emergency services to numerous property owners here in Michigan and beyond. We handled mold problems, water damage, fire and smoke damage, sewage back-up, and much more. We saw many rooms and homes at their worst, and did our best to expertly restore them and their contents.

If you were one of the property owners in Michigan and beyond who turned to Aaron’s Restoration for residential or commercial services in 2011, we want to hear from you. Last time, you likely called our toll-free number, 888-442-2766, to contact us. But this time, we invite you to share with us in writing how our team made a difference in your life in the past year. Whether it was a big project or a little one, we welcome any stories or comments about the ways we enhanced your home.

Testimonials, like the one you can provide, allow potential customers to make more informed decisions and discover the benefits of turning to a restoration company with a proven track record. So think about your experience. Was it your first time using a restoration company? What impressed you most? What pleasantly surprised you during the process?

We made it easy for you to share stories and comments with us. Simply leave a reply below this blog. It doesn’t need to be long. Just make it personal and meaningful.

Thank you for your patronage in 2011, and we wish you a prosperous year in 2012.